


Pregnant

by Anonymous



Series: fem!Bruce Wayne 'verse [3]
Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, F/M, Pregnancy, baby!Damian, female!bruce, robin!jason
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-10
Updated: 2016-04-10
Packaged: 2018-06-01 08:41:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6510994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ruby Wayne finds out she's pregnant with Thaddeus al Ghul's child on a sunny day. She doesn't know what to think. Luckily, she has people to help her through it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pregnant

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place before Birthday and Should've Brought a Grappling Hook. 
> 
>  
> 
> The timeline in accordance to the comics may be messed up. 
> 
> Ruby dresses up as Batman, not Batwoman.

Ruby Wayne found out she was pregnant on a sunny day. She stared at the plastic little stick while sitting on her bathroom floor. That was the seventh test she’d taken, because Ruby was nothing if not thorough. She could barely think. Thaddeus hadn’t even been gone that long--for that was the father--and suddenly she was tied to him forever. And what would Alfred say? What about Dick, and Jason? God, what would Clark say? She blinked and kept looking at the lines that confirmed it positive. She didn’t know if she was happy or not. She couldn’t decide if this was good or bad. 

After some time, Ruby got off the floor and scrubbed her face for something to do. She stared at her reflection--no makeup, tired eyes, hair in a messy bun--and she decided she looked real. She wasn’t glowing, or whatever else pregnant women are supposed to look like. She glanced at the test, laying on the sink, and she knew she had to tell Alfred. So she picked up the test and went downstairs, her hand wrapped around the plastic. She sat at the kitchen table, and Alfred handed her coffee. In return she handed him the test. She watched him stare at it for one, two, four, six seconds before he handed it back to her. 

“Congratulations,” he said, his voice mostly emotionless. He turned to the pantry. “Do you want me to make you something particular, or do the cravings come later?” He was trying to make her laugh. She allowed a smile and didn’t answer. He put a bowl of oatmeal in front of her. 

“Shall I call Mr. Fox and tell him you’re taking off today?” Ruby nodded. She ate her oatmeal slowly. Her mind was both numb and moving too fast. A few things floated up in her mind and she stored them away for later. She heard feet bounding down the stairs and she looked, wide eyed, at the doorway. Jason slid on his socks into the room, still wearing his pajamas. He looked surprised to see Ruby in yoga pants and a tank top, with no makeup and messy hair. 

“Are...are you okay?” He asked. “You sick?” Ruby looked at Alfred. She looked at her son. She realized she would have a biological child now. The image of Batman wearing a baby carrier with a baby wearing a tiny Robin mask floated in her mind. She mentally shook her thoughts away. 

“Jason, sit down.” He looked slightly terrified but he plopped down across from her all the same. She took a deep breath. “You remember Thaddeus?”

“Big guy, in love with you for the better part of the year, ninja assassin? Yeah, I remember.” Ruby cringed. 

“Right...about the relationship thing…”

“You aren’t getting married, are you?” Jason asked. He looked alarmed. 

“No,” Ruby said. “No. I’m, um, I’m pregnant.” Jason’s eyes widened comically and his jaw dropped. He stared at her for a long time. 

“Buffering. Please resubmit information and try again,” he said after a minute. His voice sounded dazed. 

“You’re going to be a big brother?” Ruby tried. Jason blinked himself out of his daze and his face suddenly looked like he was trying to keep in a laugh. “What?”

“I just had a vision of a pregnant Batman, out fighting crime. Don’t worry, it’ll pass.” Ruby groaned and dropped her head in her hands. 

“That image will never leave my head. Thank you, son, that’s just what I needed.” Jason laughed, and Ruby felt like everything would be okay.  
\----  
….That is until she had to call Dick. 

“What’s up?” He asked. It sounded like he was on a run. 

“Can we talk?”

“Talking now.”

“Like...talk talk.” He was silent save for his breathing. Definitely on a run. 

“D’you need me to come over?”

“No. Yes. Maybe. No, yes. Definitely yes. Just maybe not now.” She heard him stop. 

“Ruby, what’s wrong? Is everything okay?”

“I’m pregnant,” she blurted. He was silent. She worried he might hang up, or have a heart attack. 

“I’ll be there in a few hours,” he said instead, his voice tight.  
\----  
“So what’s the plan of action?” Jason asked later that night. They were all sitting in the library. 

“Well,” Ruby began. “Ever since I processed this information, I’ve thought of a lot of things. First and foremost, we need to make sure Thaddeus doesn’t find out. I don’t need my child kidnapped by the League of Assassins. I know the League’ll find out eventually, but I need to delay it as much as I can. So the press cannot know, either. Which mean’s I’ll have to stay in here for a while.” Ruby made a wide, sweeping gesture with her hands to indicate the manor. She paused for a second. “That means nightly activities, too. I’ll have to hold back a little.”

“A lot,” Dick said. Jason nodded. Ruby scowled. 

“Fine,” she said. 

“And you have to get a good night’s sleep,” Alfred added. 

“Fine! I’ll lighten the workload and sleep more, but as soon as I start to show, I can’t be Batman. For obvious reasons. So Batman’ll have to be gone for a while.” She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and Dick looked thoughtful. She knew what he was thinking about, what he was going to say. They didn’t call her the world’s greatest detective for nothing. 

“I’ll do it,” he said. Ruby worked hard to keep her face expressionless. 

“Do what?” Jason asked. 

“Be Batman,” Dick said. “I can work on altering my fighting style while Ruby’s still on the field, and once she takes maternity leave--” Ruby winced-- “I’ll go out and then the message is still there and stuff. And the criminal’s won’t get any ideas.”

“That’s a surprisingly good idea, Dickiebird,” Jason said. Dick looked sideways at Ruby. 

“Is...that okay? Can I stay here?” Ruby lifted a finger to point vaguely back at Alfred, who was standing behind her, and said, “Your room’s already been prepared.” Dick beamed. 

“So who else is allowed to know?” Jason said. “Like Selina? The JL? Just us?”

“I’m going to tell two more people,” Ruby said. “For the sole purpose that they can help me stay on the down low for the next year.”  
\-----  
The next day, Ruby went into work and went straight for Lucius Fox’s desk. 

“Are you feeling better?” Lucius asked her and she smiled sheepishly. 

“Sort of….”  
\------  
“Superman,” Batman growled from a rooftop that night. She hadn’t used the JL comm in case someone overheard. “I need you to come here.” She hesitated. “Please.” She waited. A few minutes later, a streak of red and blue landed in front of her. 

“Batman. What’s wrong?” Superman asked, concern oozing out of his whole demeanor. She didn’t ask for help often. 

“Something has happened. I am trusting exactly five people with this information.”

“What’s wrong?” He repeated. Her heart fluttered at his concern and sympathy, his willingness to help. She then imagined her heart in an iron cage so it wouldn’t betray her. She pointed at her stomach. He looked confused. 

“What?” He asked. “Are you hurt?” 

“Just look, Superman,” she said. He looked at her stomach, then looked more intently, then looked up, his eyes wide. 

“Rao,” he breathed. “You’re...I can see…”

“Guess I won’t need ultrasounds, huh,” she deadpanned. He looked at her stomach again, then he looked up, and Batman could pinpoint the exact moment he went into Mama Bear mode. 

“You can’t patrol like this,” he said. “You’ll hurt the baby. You have to keep it safe. You have to--I’ll take you home.”

“Superman,” she cut off. “I’m cutting back, I promise. I also found out yesterday. And I have a plan.”

“Of course you do,” he muttered. “Is said plan why you told me?”

“Yes, because I need your help, and because you’ll be concerned when Ruby Wayne drops off the face of the earth for a year or so in a few months. So you’ll visit, and see, and…” 

“Okay,” he said. “What’s the plan?”  
“You need to make sure that both the League and the press don’t ask too many questions. If the League needs Batman badly, then my replacement can come and I’ll be on comm unless I’m in labor or something. But the press is the main concern.” 

“How do I keep them away? Why would they trust me?” 

“Because I’m going to be at a few events you’ll be at. We are going to meet, then…” Batman fought hard to prevent her blush. “Then we’ll have to kiss in public or something and make it clear we’re…”

“Oh,” Superman breathed. He was only blushing a little. “I get it. So then people ask me, last known fling--”

“I’ll have to declare love or something.” Batman frowned. “So people will actually ask you.” Superman cleared his throat. He was definitely blushing now.

“So then they ask me and I give them excuses. Maybe even take leave and say I went water skiing with you or something.” Batman nodded. 

“And people will think it’s just a phase, and then I can claim adoption or something.” Superman frowned at that. 

“This is a good plan. But why can’t you just tell the world--?”

“Thaddeus and Ra’s are the leaders of the League,” Batman reminded him. “I don’t want them to find out because I don’t want my kid to be stolen.” Superman nodded, understanding in his eyes. “Now that you have the plan, I have to continue with my--light--patrol. I’ll let you know when I throw the first event.” Batman turned to go, but Superman grabbed her arm before she could get farther than readying her grappling hook.

“Ruby,” he said and she opened her mouth to scold him but he talked before she could. “I want you to know that if you need any help--and I mean any--I will help. Just ask.”

“Okay,” she said, pulling her arm free. 

“I’m serious. I will help you. You have to promise to ask if you need it, okay?” He’d leaned closer to her, and he had that intense look of barely contained power as he started at her. It was annoyingly attractive. Batman swallowed. 

“Fine,” she said. “I promise that I’ll consider it.” Superman smiled at her. He looked normal again. He gave her a small salute then flew away. Batman allowed herself three seconds to wish they were actually entering a relationship, not faking one, before she released her grappling hook and flew off into the night.  
\---  
“Miss Wayne, Clark Kent, Daily Planet.” Ruby turned with a fake-innocent expression to see the Man of Steel wearing glasses and a rumpled suit. She reached out her hand and smoothed the shoulders down. 

“Pleasure,” she said, halfway between a purr and her normal voice. She took a sip of her drink (which everyone was under the impression was some kind of champagne, but was really sprite), eyeing him up and down lazily. It was times like these she was glad for her...feelings...for him, because pretending to check him out was so much easier when she was actually checking him out. He blushed. 

“So do you want to interview me, or are you trying to get with me?” Ruby asked, sounding simultaneously bored and flirty. Clark turned an even deeper red. She wondered if Kryptonians could blush on command or if it was just Clark got embarrassed that easily. She leaned towards the latter.

“I-interview, if you don’t mind, Miss Wayne.”

“Please, call me Ruby.”  
\----  
The next event started with Ruby coming out of her car, holding a drink already, and pretending to be majorly drunk. People chuckled at her. Ruby’s imaginary spotlight that always zeroes in on Clark was useful for once, and she headed straight for him. She squealed and said something incoherent, before launching herself in his arms and kissing him desperately. He played the part well, or maybe he really was startled, because he faltered for a few seconds to begin with before kissing her back. Ruby let her mind actually rejoice, because she was kissing Superman, but then the kiss was over and she was back to her carefully controlled Ruby Wayne, actress extraordinaire. Of course, carefully controlled meant that at the moment she was giggling like an idiot and batting her eyelashes, pretending to be incredibly wasted. She pressed kisses to Clark’s neck and jaw, and then he took her out to the balcony to general wolf-whistles and cameras shuttering. 

Clark dropped her hand as soon as they were on the balcony. He groaned and raised his eyes to the heavens. 

“Lois is going to kill me,” he said and Ruby had to fight back a smile.  
\----  
Ruby was successful in dropping off the face of the earth. There was just one thing, though--she was bored. There was nothing she could do. She would normally train, but that was apparently a bad idea for her baby. So she found herself moping around the manor, not that Batman ever moped or anything. 

“You need a vacation,” Dick said, looking down at her from his position on the chandelier. Ruby was reminded of a tinier Dick doing the same thing far too much. 

“I do not,” she said. “What I need is to give birth and be able to function again!”

“You’re pregnant, not helpless,” Dick said. He swung back and forth. “You could go to Metropolis or something.”

“It’s not like Metropolis is infested with reporters who all know exactly who I am,” Ruby said, rolling her eyes. 

“No, go in disguise,” Dick said. He performed a graceful flip from the chandelier and landed on his feet. “Stay with Clark. Say you’re Martha’s cousin or something. Follow Clark to work. Do stuff.” Ruby pondered his words. He had a point. 

“Maybe,” she allowed. Dick did a backflip in midair in victory.  
\----  
Clark unlocked his apartment door. He dropped his bag just inside, then froze. There was a pair of steady heartbeats originating in the living room. He moved forward slowly, seeing the blonde girl on his couch like she owned the place. Upon further inspection, she was pregnant and wearing a scowl he recognised. 

“Ruby?” He asked. 

“My name is June,” she informed him. “I’m your--”

“Girlfriend,” he cut in, feeling his face light up. She frowned at him. 

“What about Ruby? And won’t it be odd for your boy scout reputation to have a pregnant girlfriend?” Clark paused. 

“Um, maybe you just broke up with your ex, who knocked you up, and me and Ruby were never really a thing anyways.”

“Clark,” she said, and her voice was indecipherable. 

“Okay, fine,” he said. “Bad idea. What do you propose?”

“I’m your old friend from Smallville. We grew up together, dated briefly in tenth grade, but we had a mutual breakup. We stayed friends after and have kept in contact. I recently had a divorce and and I’m considering starting work here.”

“Wow, you have our whole lives planned out,” Clark said, bewildered. She smirked. 

“Batman plans for everything.”

“Except pregnancies,” Clark said.

“Yes, I will admit that that that was unexpected.” Clark smiled at her. She gave him a half smile in return. 

“How’s Jason doing?”

“Good. He and Dick are getting along better than I thought they would. The two of them are going crib shopping while I’m here.”

“Are you going to get a nanny or something?” Clark asked. He sat on the couch next to her.

“I’m thinking more of a crib in the cave,” Ruby said. She stared at the opposite wall. “This kid is gonna grow up with all this. They won’t get a choice in the matter.”

“Well, if your kid doesn’t want to be Robin, you won’t make him,” Clark said. Ruby arched an eyebrow. 

“‘Him’?” She repeated. Clark’s eyes widened. He cursed himself. 

“Oh man, I wasn’t gonna say anything...oh no,” he said. Ruby looked down at her stomach. She looked back at Clark. 

“It’s a boy?” She asked, her voice soft. Clark nodded dumbly. “It’s a boy!” Her eyes were excited. This was the first time Clark had seen Ruby really happy about the pregnancy. “Pass me my phone.” Clark obliged, handing her the phone from the side table. She dialed a number and pressed the phone to her ear. Clark listened to it ring.

“Hey Ruby,” Jason’s voice answered. 

“Jason. Are you at home?”

“Yeah, why?” 

“Can you find Alfred and Dick, then put the phone on speaker?”

“Uh, okay?” Clark heard movement, then a noise that indicated Jason putting his hand over the phone. “DICK! ALFRED! They’re coming.” 

“Is that my phone?” Dick’s voice said, small and far away but still hearable. 

“Uh, no?” Jason said. He must’ve put the phone on speaker, because Alfred’s voice was loud when he said, “What is it, Master Jason?”

“They’re all here, Ruby,” Jason reported. 

“It’s a boy,” Ruby said. There were a few beats of silence, then there was an explosion of loud cheers from the other end of the phone.

“I’m gonna be a big brother!” Jason said. 

“A boy! We’ll buy Robin stuff for the whole room,” Dick said. 

“Congratulations, Mistress Ruby,” Alfred said quietly. Ruby smiled into the phone. Clark gave her a thumbs up. 

After some time of talking about the baby, Ruby and her family hung up. She looked at Clark. 

“What are you smiling about?” She asked. 

“I’m just happy you included me in this,” Clark said. 

“You are my best friend, Clark,” she said. “You needed to know.” He felt a glow of warmth inside him, never mind that she might’ve just friendzoned him. He took her hand and she didn’t pull away. 

“Thanks for telling me anyway,” he said. 

“You’re welcome,” Ruby responded quietly and Clark considered kissing her. But it was impossible to figure out what her feelings were, and was it bad to kiss someone while they were pregnant with an ex’s child? Clark didn’t know, so he didn’t kiss her. He squeezed her hand gently and withdrew. She looked a little disappointed.  
\----  
“There’s someone here to visit you,” a nurse said from the doorway to Ruby’s room. Ruby looked around. Jason was asleep on Dick’s shoulder, Clark was standing next to Ruby protectively, and Alfred was near the window. Lucius had come and gone already. 

“Who--?” Ruby started, looking at Clark. He nodded, not daring to do anything else when the nurse was still there. “Let them in,” Ruby said. The nurse nodded and left. 

“It’s Selina,” Clark said. 

“How did Selina find out?” Dick asked. Then the door opened and Selina Kyle slinked in. 

“Oh, hello,” she purred. “Let me see the little kitten.” She walked over to Ruby’s side and leaned over the bundle in her arms. “Oh, he’s precious,” she cooed. 

“Why are you here?” Ruby asked. 

“I’m here to see my lovely nephew, obviously,” Selina said. “May I--?” Ruby passed her Damian wordlessly. 

“How did you find out?” Dick asked. 

“Well, I was breaking into Wayne Manor, and I became hungry. So I went into the kitchen to retrieve myself a snack, and what should I see on the counter but a positive pregnancy test!” Selina said. “I assumed that the news would come out, but they never did, so I’ve been watching the hospitals starting about a month ago.”

“Well then,” Dick said. “That’s that.” He leaned his head on Jason’s and closed his eyes. Ruby watched Selina coo over Damian. 

“What’s his name?” Selina asked. 

“Damian al Ghul Wayne,” Ruby answered. 

“Ahh, let’s break all the traditions and give him the father’s last name as the middle name, interesting,” Selina said. 

“I didn’t even want to add the ‘al Ghul’,” Ruby said. “But Clark thought we should honor his father.”

“Hmm, yes, well hello Damian,” Selina said to the sleeping baby. She looked up at Clark. “So this is the reporter Clark Kent whom you have been seen with recently?”

“Yes,” Clark said. 

“And you knew she was pregnant and didn’t tell the Daily Planet,” Selina said, her eyes narrow. 

“He’s very loyal. Can I have Damian back?” Selina passed him back to her. 

“So the relationship is serious, then?” Selina said. “I didn’t get that impression from the newspapers.”

“Newspaper’s haven’t seen me for a while,” Ruby smirked. 

“Well, I should be going,” Selina said. “My kitties will miss me.”

“Bye,” Clark and Ruby said at the same time. 

“It was nice seeing you, Miss Kyle,” Alfred said. 

“Likewise. Now remember, Ruby, if little Damian ever wants to be a Catlad, you give me a call.”

“I’m sure if that unlikely scenario ever comes true, I’ll be sure to tell you,” Ruby said dryly. Selina laughed and left. Through the window.  
\----  
After Ruby and Clark finally got Damian to sleep on the first night in the manor, Clark started to go to the guest room. 

“Clark,” Ruby said. He turned to look at her. “Thank you for all that you’ve done to help me.”

“No problem,” he said. “You’re my best friend. You needed my help.” She smiled slightly at his parroting of her words. 

“Thanks anyway,” she said. 

“Goodnight.” He turned back to the guest room. 

“Wait. Can you...come sleep with me?”

“What?” He asked blankly. 

“Come sleep with me in a romantic but not sexual way,” Ruby said. 

“Are you asking me to do romantic things outside of cover?”

“Yes,” Ruby said impatiently. “Come on.” He smiled and followed her to her room. She turned to kiss him. It was sweet, nothing like the public makeouts they’d engaged in. She smiled into the kiss. 

“Are you happy?” Clark asked when they broke apart. She considered the matter.

“Yes,” she decided. “Very happy.”  
\----  
A year later, Thaddeus al Ghul stole Damian from his crib in the middle of the night.

**Author's Note:**

> comments are appreciated!! Thanks


End file.
